1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a diagnostic system for pitot-static systems in aircraft. More specifically, the present invention relates to a diagnostic system for in-flight and pre-flight detection of anomalies in pitot-static system readings which are indicative of the health of the pitot-static system.
2. Background of Relevant Art
The health and integrity of aircraft sensors and instruments play a critical role in aviation safety. In the case of a pitot-static system, the health and integrity of sensors and instruments are often critical to a successful flight. The pitot-static system is a pressure-sensitive system that is used to determine specific details about the aircraft's flight. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional pitot-static system 10 that includes a pitot tube 12, pitot-static instruments 14, and a static port 16. As depicted, the pitot tube 12 and static port 16 (typically referred to as probes or air data probes) are essentially extensions of pressure sensors which provide data to the pitot-static instruments 14 to generate indications of the aircraft's airspeed, vertical speed, and altitude. These sensors/probes may experience problems with blockages, icing, and moisture which contribute to inaccurate readings in the pitot-static instruments 14. Inaccurate readings on the pitot-static instruments 14 can lead to erroneous decisions which result in serious, if not fatal, consequences.
Many aircraft crashes in recent years have been linked to failures in the pitot-static system 10. These failures may include loss of airspeed indication and airspeed anomalies that have resulted from water contamination of the pitot tube, icing, tape covering the static ports 16, and pitot tube 12 blockages. Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued an order stating that all U.S. Airlines operating Airbus A330s and A340s must replace at least two of the three pitot tube 12 sensors on each plane because of the safety concerns of pitot tube 12 blockages. Accordingly, the detection of failures in the pitot tube 12 readings is of great importance to aviation safety.